17th International Symposium on the Molecular Basis of Pathology and Therapy in Neurological Disorders

On 15–16 October 2026, the Conference Centre of the Nalecz Institute of Biocybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, Polish Academy of Sciences (IBIB PAS), in Warsaw hosted the 17th International Symposium Molecular Basis of Pathology and Therapy in Neurological Disorders.

The event was jointly organised by the Mossakowski Medical Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences (IMDiK PAS) and IBIB PAS. The symposium provided an opportunity to exchange knowledge and expertise on the molecular mechanisms underlying neurological disorders and emerging approaches to their investigation and treatment.

A total of 130 participants registered for the conference, including approximately 25 online participants. The event brought together 22 participants from abroad, representing 13 countries, including Spain, Belgium, the United States, Switzerland, Germany, Brazil, Portugal and Ukraine. The conference was supported by 11 sponsoring companies.

The programme included scientific lectures and poster sessions. Topics covered included the use of organoids and human neural models in disease research, the role of glial cells in neurodegenerative processes, and calcium signalling mechanisms in the central nervous system. Presentations by early-career researchers were also an important part of the symposium.

One of the sessions, Advancing Human Neural Models: From Organoids to Physiologically Relevant Systems, focused on the development of advanced human neural models and their physiological relevance. Discussions covered organoid and assembloid models, interactions between the nervous and immune systems, organ-on-chip technologies, and the application of spatial transcriptomics in neurological research. These approaches may help researchers better reproduce the complexity of the human nervous system and investigate the mechanisms underlying neurological disorders.

Prof. Beata Toczyłowska and Dr Justyna Augustyniak from the Laboratory of Diagnosis and Therapy Support of Metabolic Diseases, Department IV – Modeling and Supporting of Internal Organs Functions at IBBE PAS, contributed to the work of the Organising Committee. Dr Augustyniak, representing both IBIB PAS and IMDiK PAS, also chaired the session on advanced human neural models.

IBIB PAS researchers also contributed to the scientific programme. Dr Joanna Motyl presented her research findings in a talk entitled “Sphingosine kinase 1 as a potential signalling node linking sphingolipid signalling, BDNF/TrkB signalling and α-synuclein burden”. In addition, Prof. Beata Toczyłowska and Dr Justyna Augustyniak, in collaboration with the IMDiK PAS team, prepared a scientific poster entitled “Oxygen-dependent metabolite profiles in human embryoid bodies following methylmercury chloride exposure”.

The symposium programme, abstracts and speaker information are available at: https://ncs2026.imdik.pan.pl/